Closure member



W. L. TRAF TON CLOSURE MEMBER Feb. 14, 1950 2,497,827

Filed April is, 1946 Warren L. Trgfa /mw MGM WW Patented Feb. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF ICE CLOSURE MEMBER Warren L. Trafton, Cambridge, Mass 'assignor to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 13, 1946, Serial No. 562,002

purpose. -One of the primary objectsof the invention is the provision of a closure member havinga .dif-

ferent arrangement of support-engaging fingers or tongues designed to effect a. more secure engagement with the wall of a support aperture regardless of the thickness of the support.

Other aims and objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a consideration of the accompanying drawings and annexed specification illustrating and describing one preferred form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a closure member according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the member shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail sectional view as taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view as taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2, illustrating the manner of engagement of the support-engaging tongues or fingers with the aperture wall of a relatively thick support;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5 illustrating the manner of engagement of the support-engaging tongues or fingers with the aperture wall of a relatively thin support; and

Fig. '7 is a section taken along the line 1-4 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the improved closure member II] or plug button comprises a closure or button portion I I formed of thin sheet material, such as sheet metal or the like, having resilient means for securing it to an aperture wall 5 of a support 8.

The member III is designed to be removably secured to the support aperture so as to conceal the hole therein and in many installations the engagement between the resilient means and the aperture wall 5 must be such as to withstand severe vibrations and jars to securely retain the closure member I0 in place.

The closure member ID as illustrated may be pressed from a single piece of sheet material to provide a closure or button portion 'II of somewhat greater diameter than the diameter of the aperture in which the button is to be fitted. The

2 Claims. (01.220-450) peripheral portion of the portion II is inturned to form an inturned peripheral flange I2 -providing asupp'ort'bea'ring ledge. Extending angularly and laterally from the inner edge of the flange isan annular series of resilient aperture Wall-engaging means comprising spaced tongues or fingers I5 and intermediate increased tensioned contact tonguesor fingers 20.

The flush contact =-fingersor tongues I5 are preferably relatively long and of fiat cross section to effect contact with the adjacent portion of the aperture wall 5 in all thicknesses of a support greater than a predetermined minimum. Normally, the angular disposition of the fingers or tongues I5 is slightly acute to the plane of the flange I 2 and the terminal ends of the fingers or tongues I5 are inturned and tapered, as at I6, to permit easy entrance of the fingers into the aperture of the support 6.

The increased tensioned tongues or fingers 20 are preferably arranged intermediate the longer tongues I5 so that the different tensioned engagements of the members 20 with the aperture wall 5 is alternately disposed peripherally of the aperture wall to more securely hold the member I I] in place, as shown in Figs. 5 and '7. Preferably, these increased tensioned tongues 20 are of shorter length than the tongues I5 and have inturned portions 2| at their outermost ends. The angular disposition of the tongues 20 to the plane ofthe flange I2 is less than in the case of the tongues I5 as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. Due to the shorter length of the tongues 20 they will exert a greater tension against the aperture wall 5 than the tongues I5 and a very effective holding engagement is provided when these different types of contact are alternately arranged circumferentially.

The above construction provides a more effective means for retaining the button in place in the support notwithstanding severe jars and vibrations imposed upon the support and regardless of the thickness of the support. While I have illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 supports of substantially the proper thicknesses to be engaged most effectively by the tongues I5 and 20 respectively, the tongues will exert sufficient tension on the aperture walls of supports of other thicknesses, including thickness greater than the lengths of the longer prongs I5, to secure the button firmly within the'support aperture. The closure In is thus more universally adapted to use in a wider variety of installations with various thicknesses of support and greater tolerance of aperture diameter than existing closure members or plug buttons of the type described.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, the closure member of the invention may be 1. A closure button adapted for engagement with apertured supports of varying thickness comprising a body having an inturned edge forming a peripheral flange, an annular series of-relatively narrow fingers of substantially two lengths in substantially alternate positions with respect to each other and extending laterally from an integral with said peripheral flange and having outwardly directed shoulders intermediate the ends thereof, the shoulders on the longer of said fingers being adapted to engage behind a lower edge of an aperture wall of a relatively thick support with the shoulders of the shorter fingers being spaced a shorter distance from the flange than the shoulders 0n the longer fingers and having increased tensioned contact with the aperture wall, and the shoulders on the shorter of said fingers being adapted to engage behind a lower edge of an aperture wall of a relatively thinner support.

2. A' closure button as set forth in claim 1 in which said fingers extend laterally from said peripheral flange at acute angles thereto. the shorter of said fingers making smaller acute angles with said (peripheral flange than the longer of said fingers for increased tensioned contact with an aperture wall.

WARREN L. TRAFI'ON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 1

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,753,631 Walters Apr. 8, 1930 1,800,173 Anderson Apr. 7, 1931 2,133,789 P001 Oct. 18, 1938 2,289,198 Jordan July 7, 1942 

